Newb here, checking out this bus tomorrow

[jordan76]

Its potentially a smoking deal. I don't have any info on it but its got a dead battery so I'll be bringing one along so I can drive it.

Any advice on things i should look out for with this specific style of bus?

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[Rusty]

yeah, watch for blue flashing lights behind you.

Have a blast driving that- looks fun !

[jordan76]

Ha yeah its a crazy looking bus. Can anyone tell me what type of engines and transmissions are common with these? The seller doesn't know much, will I be able to easily identify these things when I'm looking at it?

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[cowlitzcoach]

That is a Blue Bird bus body on a GM/Workhorse P-30 chassis.

The most common engine in that bus was the 350 small block gas V-8, the 6.2L diesel V-8, and the 6.5L turbo diesel V-8. I have never seen one in a bus but in moho's the 454 big block gas V-8 was offered in that chassis.

The transmissions were the THM400, 700R4, 4L60, and 4L80. All except the THM400 were OD transmissions. If the transmission selector has a detent that is marked D with a circle around it the transmission is an OD transmission.

The 6.2L was a real slow poke and didn't have enough power to get out it's own way on a hill.

The 6.5L was a little bit less pokey but it has problems with the electronics that are most probably worked around by this late date.

The 350/5.7L was very dependable and had okay power in a bus of that size.

Fuel mileage with the small block was around 8-10 MPG and with the diesels 10-14 MPG.

The biggest problem with the P-30 chassis is it really is not much more that a heavy duty 1-ton pickup chassis. Which means the empty bus is not very far away from the fully loaded GVWR of the chassis. As a consequence they were hard on suspension parts and brakes. Because the basic chassis was used under a LOT of moho's for a lot of years there is quite an aftermarket that supports the chassis with upgraded components.

Regardless of how nice the bus might be I would not pay anything more than $3K for it. And I would only make that offer if the tires were still in good shape. Three have sold in the last year at Ritchie Brothers Auctions for under $1K each.

[jordan76]

Thanks for the info! Seller is asking 1k and I'd expect to be able to negotiate some. This is not my ideal choice but the price is compelling. I'd prefer a 7-8 window on a standard bus chassis but finding one of those for anywhere close to the price of this is probably quite unlikely. So this one may get me started sooner than expected.

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[lucasd]

Originally Posted by jordan76

Its potentially a smoking deal.

I'll grant there is a good chance "smoking" definitely plays a part in that bus' history...

Seriously, a P30 chassis was put in a lot of box vans or bread delivery trucks. They are, as previously mentioned, often overloaded almost by default when designed as motorhomes from the factory. The upside is that there are a million P30s out there, so parts are easy to come by. There's plenty of aftermarket know-how and support.